1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to decorative lighted footwear having straps that is of the type that is worn at the beach or for leisure which straps are formed from a transparent or translucent tubing containing decorative flashing lights fully encased in the strap and connected to the sole of the footwear. More particularly the invention pertains to comfortable sandals and footwear having straps that are traditionally worn for leisure that are decorated with flashing lights totally encased in tubing forming the straps of the sandal that converts such footwear into a high fashion footwear that can be worn at night to nightclubs and discos. The footwear of the invention are multi-functional footwear recognized not only for comfort and leisure but also for high fashion night life when the totally encased flashing lights are illuminated. The integrity of the light system is preserved by fully encasing the light sources in a transparent protective tubing which functions as straps and lighted decoration for the footwear that encloses the electrical component in the layers of the heel of the footwear.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes a variety of sandals, shoes and other articles of footwear that include a number of different straps and tying arrangements for fastening the footwear to the foot. Much of this prior art is irrelevant since it does not include lights or flashing systems for a combination of illuminating the footwear and fixing the footwear to the foot. Prior art patents representative of sandal fastening systems are Levine U.S. Pat. No. 3,678,604 and Ballou U.S. Pat. No. 1,756,505. These patents are not as relevant as the prior art pertaining to the ordinary thong or sandal which utilizes the spaces between the toes together with the arched straps that go from the space between the toe to a position in front of the heel and is fastened to the sole of the sandal. While this prior art is directly relevant to the invention it does not teach or suggest the combination of the invention of a combined strap for attaching the footwear to the foot and providing a decorative flashing light or illuminated display for converting the ordinary thong or sandal into multi-functional footwear suitable for wear in the shower or beach and for nightclubs, discos and party footwear. Many examples of traditional party footwear are uncomfortable whereas more comfortable sandal or thong has not been dressy enough to wear to nightclubs and discos. The present invention unlike the prior art transform the ordinary sandal into a high fashion night life sandal that can be worn for both leisure and to discos and nightclubs.
Other forms of footwear in the prior art provide lighting and flashing light displays as is represented by Rodgers U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,009. This and other prior art patents cited in Rodgers pertains to footwear having constant or intermittent flashing lighting which unlike the present invention does not fully encase and protect the lighting and does not employ a combination of foot restraining strap and decorative lighting display. The multi-functional strap serves to both fix the footwear to the foot and provide a decorative illuminated display to provide an environmentally and water resistant protective covering to the footwear. The prior art flashing footwear furthermore unlike the present invention is generally expensive to produce since the decoration is not placed in the straps and does not protect the electrical lighting display from the environment by fully encasing the lighting and wiring in a water resistant system for protecting the lighting or circuitry from the environment. The prior art footwear in addition has not been designed for multi-functional use and does not provide a comfortable, desirable article of footwear that can be utilized both for beach, shower and night life environments.
The configuration of the novel footwear of the present invention allows the combination strap and decorative display to be applied to comfortable sandals or thongs which converts the comfortable sandal or thong into a multi-functional and multi-purpose article of footwear that can be worn not only on the beach or in the shower but also can be worn to nightclubs and discos by providing an illuminated flashing sandal. The novel sandal of the invention employs a hollow rounded, oval or rectangular shaped translucent or transparent tubing forming a footwear strap that covers a plurality of light emitting diodes (LED) which form the straps. As such the sandals of the present invention are inexpensive to produce and effectively protect the LEDs or lights while increasing the effectiveness of the light display and providing a comfortable multi-functional article of footwear that is comfortable at the beach, in the shower or in a nightclub or disco.